So 6:00 am rolls around, we quickly fold up and secure our cots, line up to give them back to the supply room, grab our gear, put on workout clothes, line up in formation, do stretches then line up for the 1-1-1 test. First was the push-ups, I did 36 in a minute and the best I heard was 40 with many others well below my score. The idiot Foursome were unable to perform any push ups and thus failed their test right away. Next were sit-ups where I did 37 and the best score I heard was 41 with many others well below my score. With many of us needing water we were, instead, marched out to the track to run our timed mile. It was probably 45 degrees outside so it was a very chilly run where your lungs want to explode. I hate running for distance therefore I hadn’t done much of it. Passing time for males is 8:30, I finished around 7:20 and was behind probably only 6 or 7 people…meaning the majority were behind me.

I was pretty pleased with my time and not puking. Then we double-timed it back for chow…now I don’t know about you but the last thing I want to do immediately after a workout is eat biscuits and gravy. They took our height and weight and then served up the food. As good as chow was, I didn’t eat much of it.

We had a few minutes to change out of our workout clothes and into normal clothes. We lined up for formation and were sent back into the classroom for more presentations and discussions. There was some work on the Army Values but it turned into watching mission videos…the kind CNN doesn’t show…and working on our own group motto.

Unit mottos were kind of a big deal as there was one general detachment motto (one that all the units said together) then individual unit mottos. The other units had lengthy mottos that were great and Hooah-rific (Born to fight, trained to ****, ready to die but never will. Blackhawks!) but I suggested we did a simple motto. It was in the middle of watching one of the videos that it came to us. I suggested it as the motto and it was adopted.

We lined up in the gym (also the chow area) where each unit sounds off their motto before moving into line for chow. Blue unit sounded off their lengthy motto, White unit sounded off their novel and it was finally our turn. With all eyes set on the newbies, Red Phase was called to attention and proudly sounded off with “K i l l Everybody! HOOAH!!!!!!” The laughing and the cheers could be heard in the next city as it was a wonderful way to end the drill weekend. The master sergeant suggested we not tell CNN or our shrinks about the motto, but loved it just the same.

After chow we grabbed our gear, went outside and all made a formation for the Captain to come out and give us one last Hooah speech. I won’t use his exact words as most of them were not clean but the message was essentially stay out of trouble, don’t get pregnant and don’t impregnate for the country needs all of us right now. Red Phasers were officially upped to White Phase status, a speech from the master sergeant and we were released.

Bring on the next drill, I’m ready to prove I belong and am ready to lead my service brothers and sisters into whatever my state and country needs me to do. HOOAH!

Oh, and to all the young pups who called me “Pops” and “Dad”…I told you I would whoop your butts, and I did just that! One for the old people!

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Whew! So 2:00 pm (pardon me, 1400) on Sunday, October 17, 2010 (pardon me again, 17OCT10) couldn’t get here quick enough…yet I was sad when it arrived. This is the time my first Army drill wrapped up, 38 years of zealous waiting ended and 10 months of hard work paid off.

Few know I have a continual military lineage back to the Civil War, so to say I was born to serve is an understatement. My dad would tell me stories about being a frontline Marine Sergeant in Vietnam and though the thought of being a bullet magnet was not a positive thing, the feeling of pride in being part of something bigger than any of us was. Grandpa would tell me stories of being in the Navy during WW2. My step-dad tells me stories about being in the Air Force during the Korean War. Great-grandfather in WW1…However, Dad and Grandpa made me promise I’d go to college first before thinking of the military.

I went to college, and months before earning my Bachelor’s degree, my daughter was born. One sense of duty was put on hold as I entered into another sense of duty…for my daughter. So after a life time of wanting to serve my country, and my daughter reaching her teenage years to where she’d understand, I looked at serving again. At 38-years old only the Army takes that age. I worked hard this year, dropped 30 pounds, am in the mid-teens for percent of body fat and am nearly in the best shape of my life.

Committed to what I’m doing? Yes.
Should I be committed? Probably.

Either way, I am proud to finally say I am serving my country.

Oct. 16

8:30 am – sign in, dump your gear, take a seat and wait for a Cadre (instructor) to show up. Once he did he quickly rushed us into the gym, explained what was about to happen and why the other units were all standing there in formation at attention. Drill was officially started where a promotion ceremony took place. His rank patch was removed, discarded and with an Army Hooah! punch to the chest the promoted rank was secured. It may sound barbaric…but was such a neat thing to be a part of. After a quick speech and an immediate butt chewing for not knowing the detachment motto, we were released to our separate phase functions.

There are different phases based on proximity to ship date. As this was my first drill and I have 3 more drills until I ship to basic, I was in the Red Phase (1st timers). White Phase is next and Blue Phase is for those who are about to ship. Green Phase are for those in the split training option, usually for those in school or waiting to go to advanced training after basic.

Red Phase is usually dubbed “Death by Powerpoint” in that many hours are spent in the classroom learning about things like sexual harassment, suicide prevention, ranks, reporting procedures and Q/A sessions. They allow you a little room at first but as the weekend goes on the expectations increase. DO NOT FALL ASLEEP and there are times you’re put on the spot with push-ups on the line for wrong answers.

We were in class for a few hours and then we went outside for D&C (Drill and Ceremony). It was nice outside and felt good to get away from the desk for a bit. We lined up in four ranks and worked on proper right/left turns, about face, standing at attention, parade rest, at ease and at rest among other things. We did this for about an hour until it was time for chow (lunch).

You don’t just stand in line for lunch and wait your turn. You have to form a snake line a certain way, stand at parade rest until you move which means you snap to attention, march forward and then snap back to parade rest until the line moves again. You don’t talk unless spoken to by a higher rank. Lunch was catered taco salad, refried beans, rice and (all that was left was) tea. It was all pretty good and we discussed how all units would be sprinting to the few bathroom stalls all at once when the taco salad finally set in.

After end of chow formation, Red Phasers (and our full bellies) were sent back to class for more presentations. We started learning about ranks and one person at each table (3 people to a table) was asked to name the rank the Cadre was pointing to. A wrong answer meant the person and the ones on either side of them had to do 20 push-ups. I should mention there were over 40 Red Phasers ranging from 17 to 38 (yes, I was the 38-year old and easily oldest by about 8 years). The kiddo next to me was not awake, alert or in a good mood which means HE got the question. Once he was called upon, I started to push my chair away from the table before he even got the question. 20 push-ups later we were back in our chairs. More presentations followed and then it was time for D&C again.

We march out to D&C where we eventually meet the White Phasers. Game on! Yep, we had D&C contests where, at the end, one Red Phaser and one White Phaser had to square off against one another. I wasn’t the Red Phaser, but I went far. Naturally the bets started flying by both sides…losing side had to all drop and do 20 push-ups. Red Phase lost in a very lengthy face-off and in true Army fashion, the White Phasers did not let us do the push-ups alone so we all dropped and did 20. Silly, but cool. A few more activities and it was time for chow (dinner).

We march back, form our snake line and are served beef and noodles, mashed potatoes, corn and fruit juice. Once finished we tear down the tables and chairs, line up at the supply room and are given our cots for the evening. We assembled our cots, lined them up on one side of the gym, grabbed our gear and had the evening off…or did we?

There was a Sergeant I called Cool Cadre Harda$$ as he was the crazy physical trainer and drill sergeant for the weekend. Apparently he had served three tours overseas in airborne, is a member of UFC and was a college/semi-pro basketball player. He was hardcore, but once the master sergeant left for the evening he pulled out a movie (Iron Man 2), a basketball, allowed some snacks and only asked we not smoke and just follow the rules. It was about 7:00 pm at this point and it was decided lights out would be at 10:30 with all to be quiet around 11. So we were free to shower, hang out and chill for the evening.

I sat and yapped with several guys in my area where the best names they could come up with for me was “Pops” and “Dad”. One guy I called 2-pack/240 as he is a smoker and a big boy. Another I called Carlton as earlier in the day he broke out the “Dougie” dance for the Cadre’s chow table, I asked if he knew the Carlton (Think Fresh Prince of Bel Air) and all the brothas around me busted out laughing. Another I called High Speed and Tosh. We smack-talked for a while, I told them they could call me all the “Old Man” names they wanted but with our PT (physical training) tests coming up at 6am the next morning I bet all of them they would be going home telling all their buddies they got their butts whooped by an old guy. Smack talk continued and we all had a great time doing it. What a riot.

The evening activities died down, people were asleep and lights went out at 10:30. Snores were sounding when suddenly (around 11:00) the lights fly on, the cuss words are screaming out from several Cadres and we are called to formation into the middle of the gym. Apparently two idiots made it outside and just HAD to have a cigarette while two of their buddies watched. So about 100 of us are lined up on the floor, these four guys are pulled out and screamed at and ALL of us got smoked (meaning massive amounts of “corrective” physical activity). 100 push-ups as fast as possible, 200 hand claps above our heads as fast as possible with having to hold our arms parallel to the floor for about 10 minutes, followed by 100 jumping jacks only to go back to push-ups…special push-ups where you go half way down (straight back, arms bent between a full push up and on the floor) and holding this position for long periods of time. Push back up and then back to half down…this went on for quite a while. All were grunting and moaning, some were crying and I do believe one guy wet himself from the continual stresses in our ab section. I’m proud to say I was one of the very last ones to drop out but all were out and just doing what they could to get by. More cussing and screaming and then lights out. The four guys had to do fireguard all night long while the rest of us slept. None were very happy with them, as you can imagine.

The idiot Foursome weren’t done with their blunders as they fell asleep during fireguard and were smoked for it in the morning by “counting tiles”. Counting tiles is where you are in a push-up position, have your hands evenly placed on two tiles on the floor, you do a push-up then move your hands forward to the next set of tiles…all while retaining a push-up position. They had to walk the entire length of the floor like this which this hall way is probably 75 yards long. This was performed mere minutes before we all took our 1-1-1 (test where you do as many push-ups you can in one minute, as many sit-ups as you can in one minute and how long it takes you to run a mile). Needless to say these guys were unable to perform the push-up portion of their test.